The present invention relates to a network management system in which a plurality of computers are connected with network devices and, more particularly, to a network management system so adapted as to perform operations and management of a network in a smooth way.
The recent development of communication technology serving as a basis for a network permits a highly reliable high-speed network configuration to be made over several years. The scale becomes larger and wider in areas year after year. As high-speed communication becomes possible and the network configuration advances on a worldwide scale, the requirement for the network management becomes of great account; however, even if the sharing of resources and efficiency of business could be realized, management operations may be rather increased before the network is structured.
Recently, there have been proposed systems that are referred to as network management tools intended to make the network management operations more efficient. What is common with these tools exists in the fact that the network management is performed at a communication protocol level.
The network management function at a communication protocol level contains a monitoring function for monitoring network traffic a statistics processing function for compiling monitored results, a function for generating an alarm at the time of an abnormality in the traffic, and the like.
For example, a network management system called "Dual Manager" commercially available from Nippon Kokan K.K. is a management system on a communication protocol base that is referred to as SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol). Although this network management system uses such a communication protocol as a standard in the industry, all products do not always support the communication protocol so that there are occasions where the network cannot be managed with the system only.
Another network management system called "SunNet Manager" available from Sun Micro Systems is a network management system based on an original protocol. Thus, it is difficult to manage products other than those originated from Sun Micro Systems. The same thing can be said of a network management system called "NetView" available from IBM. Further, these systems cannot manage information on devices that are physically connected with these systems.
However, these systems for carrying out the logical network management by using the SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) and its own protocol do not management the status of physical locations. Further, these systems cannot display the scope of influence, change the machine environment, and perform the physical management of security on the layout of a floor, although they can give a notice of a fault on the basis of information on MIB of the SNMP, the rate of use of CPU by the computer, or the rate of use of a disk, if the condition for the management of the fault would go over the conditions defined by the user.
A variety of technologies relating to such network management systems are disclosed in Japanese patent publications as follows:
(i) A maintenance subsystem as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication (kokai) No. 61-180,340; PA1 (ii) A network monitoring device as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication (kokai) No. 63-117,532; PA1 (iii) A network diagnosing device as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication (kokai) No. 63-279,643; PA1 (iv) A network address mapping system as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication (kokai) No. 2-18,651; and PA1 (v) ALAN control system as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication (kokai) No. 2-305,140. PA1 (vi) A fault detecting system for detecting a fault of the network as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication (kokai) No. 1-78,053; PA1 (vii) A fault monitoring system for monitoring a fault for a data processing network system, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication (kokai) No. 1-218,236; PA1 (viii) A network fault diagnosing system for diagnosing the fault of a network as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication (kokai) No. 3-97,330; PA1 (ix) A two-step fault determining system for determining a fault in two steps in a network monitoring system, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication (kokai) No. 3-101,539; and PA1 (x) A presumption processing system for implementing the presumption processing for a range of influence of a fault by a network monitoring system, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication (kokai) No. 3-195,230. PA1 a. The occurrence of a loss to be caused by a fault of the network cannot be prevented. PA1 b. An instruction to take measures cannot be made at the time of causing a fault of the network. PA1 c. The management of data is complex. PA1 d. Distribution of data PA1 e. It is difficult to divide sections for supporting maintenance at the time of the occurrence of a fault. PA1 f. No management can be made for the fault so as to contain all devices connected to the network. PA1 g. The management of the physical environment can e made in an insufficient manner. PA1 h. The performance of the network cannot be grasped on a drawing of the configuration of the network. PA1 i. Security in the network is insufficiently secure.
The maintenance subsystem as described in item (I) above is so adapted as to execute a diagnosis routine for a computer that has caused a fault, to transmit a cause and a site of the fault, and to allow the fault to be corrected from a terminal apart from the computer.
The network monitoring device as referred to in item (ii) above is arranged to store information on a component to be monitored in a definition data file and to allow a fault of the component to be investigated from a location apart from the component.
The network diagnosing device as referred to in item (iii) above is so arranged as to allow a diagnosing processor to receive a diagnosing command transmitted from a network component, to return a diagnosed result to the component, and to allow a component user to practice an investigation of the cause of a fault on site.
The network address mapping system as described in item (iv) above is so adapted as to permit a network system to be structured with high extendibility and ease in alteration by making a dispersed management of the mapping indicative of the names of nodes and the physical positions of the computer.
The LAN control system as referred to in item (v) above is so adapted as to improve operability by analyzing a packet on a network and simplifying a shared resource of a server.
As prior technology for the management for the faults of the network, there may be mentioned, for example:
The fault detecting system of the network, as referred to in item (vi) above, is so arranged as to display a location of the fault determined by a fault monitoring means for monitoring faults and a location determining means for determining the location of the fault so as to be readable directly therefrom.
Further, the fault monitoring system of the data processing network system, as referred to in item (vii) above, is so arranged as to be capable of displaying a fault in accordance with a magnitude of importance by transmitting display information on faults of the network through an emergency circuit in case of occurrence of faults.
The network fault diagnosing system as referred to in item (viii) above is so adapted as to presume the location of occurrence of the fault of the network and diagnosing rules.
In addition, the two-step fault determining system in the network monitoring system, as referred to in item (ix) above, is so adapted as to improve accuracy in the determination of the fault by classifying information on faults into information on main causes of the faults and information on the faults that exert an adverse influence.
Furthermore, the presumption processing system for implementing the presumption processing for the scope of influence of the fault in the network monitoring system, as referred to in item (x) above, is so arranged as to be capable of presuming the scope of influence at the time of the occurrence of the fault by accumulating the scope of influence of the fault as information on a fault history, presuming the cause of the fault when the fault occurred, and displaying the corresponding information on the fault history, if any.
The technology as described hereinabove, however, cannot solve the matters as will be described hereinafter.
In an environment where the network is in a fluctuating configuration, it is in an ordinary state that the network is running and that a cost calculation and a prediction of productivity are being performed. If the network is not running due to a certain kind of abnormality, however, productivity may be caused or a loss may occur. In order to prevent such an environment, it is necessary to comprehend the configuration of the connection of a machine with the network and allow the abnormality to be discovered in network traffic at once by designing a topology of the highly efficient network. The conventional technology, however, can allow the network to be monitored yet it cannot design the topology.
Although the loss as described hereinabove may occur in instances where the network causes a fault, it is necessary for a network manager to recover the network rapidly, in order to minimize the loss that may be predicted to occur from such a fault. The measures that should be taken when greater importance is attached to a decrease in disappearance of data and in reliability due to the fault or the failure of the network should be different from the measures that should be taken when greater importance is attached to a decrease in response. In order to take the measures, however, a state of the fault should first be grasped accurately, the cause of the fault should then be analyzed, and it should further be judged as to how efficiently the fault can be recovered. Furthermore, it is required that a managing post be identified and the cause of the fault be excluded in order not to cause the fault or similar faults again. It can be noted, however, that the network management system based on the conventional technology cannot given any instruction of the measures to be taken against the faults.
There is a great variety of elements structuring the network, including computers, and the kinds and nature are diversified. In order to manage the network well, any device connected to the network should be managed even if it is small in size and has only a sole function. Network-related devices have a very short product life cycle and new products having higher functions are being prepared one after another at cheaper prices. Further, the number of devices to be managed will be increasing.
In addition, a device to be connected to the network is provided with a variety of attributes and attribute values. Even one work station contains several tens of the attributes and the attribute values, including the name of the product, model number, serial number, price, memory size, disc size, working operating system (OS), and the like. It can further be noted that managing operations can be performed with high efficiency when necessary data is stored in a state capable of being fetched readily and rapidly. The managing data contains a wide variety of data, including graphics data such as the location of machines, the wiring of the network, etc., data of a spreadsheet type, such as the configuration of the devices, a list of working software, etc., data of a text type, such as a manual of procedures for handling the network, etc., and image data of products as indicated in catalogues of products, etc.
There are all kinds of graphics data and data of a spreadsheet type, and there is no compatibility between the graphics data or between the data of the spreadsheet type, even if the data is intended to be compatible, because tools through which the graphics data or the data of the spreadsheet type are prepared are different and types of the data are different. There has currently been no tool in conventional technology, which can handle data of a spreadsheet type or data of a text type together with graphics data or with the mapping of data to a floor map. Hence, currently, the tools are changed so as to comply with the kinds of data to be handled.
Data may be dispersed when equipment, kinds of devices, and costs of devices are managed by different managing posts. Unlike the dispersion over the network, the dispersion of managing posts may make it difficult to collect data necessary for new installment and transferal of devices, and the like. For instance, a company may be organized in such a manner that different managing sections manage different data: for example, the accountants section of its finance department is managing assets; the equipment section of its computer center is managing power; the general affairs section of its general affairs department is managing telephones; and the like. If managing data is managed with a large-scale host computer, there may be occasions when word processors and personal computers are not connected to the host computer so that necessary data cannot be fetched readily and rapidly from those processors and computers equipped on the desks of the operators.
The network is structured in almost all cases by multiple vendors so that a request for all operations cannot be given to a particular maintenance company. Even if a company has a managing section, it cannot perform maintenance operations for networks equipped separately. Further, it is extremely difficult to determine the site where an abnormality is caused to occur after the occurrence of a fault or a failure and where to recover.
The network is constituted by the computers and the network devices connected thereto through circuits and so on. In order to allow the network to run in an actual way, however, the power sources, plug receptacles, cables, telephone circuits, and so on are also essential elements. Hence, it is necessary to contain elements structuring the network, other than those computers and network devices, as the object of management for the fault of the network.
The conventional technology as described hereinabove, however, suffers from the disadvantages that it cannot manage the physical disposition of the devices, the state of the connection thereof, the electric power sources, the plug receptacles, the cables, the telephone circuits, and so on, because it is so adapted as to manage the computers and the network devices, connected to the network in a logical sense.
The scope of temperature and humidity is usually determined as an environment for guaranteeing a normal operation of the computers and the network devices. Hence, the normal operation of the network can be implemented for the first time when the physical environment is assured as described hereinabove.
The computers and the network devices usually consume more electricity than general household electric appliances, and generate more heat. Knowing the amount of heat generated from each device and how much ambient temperature is caused to arise at the circumference of each device would be useful for locating the computers and the devices in an effective and efficient way. Further, illumination within an office and noise generated from the devices are elements of significance to be taken into account in order to provide the user with a good physical environment for operating the devices. In addition, understanding the range of wireless communication becomes very important for network management of a wireless network configuration, which has recently attracted increasing attention.
As the conventional technology, however, does not address the physical environment, such as the amount of the heat generated, the amount of noise, the scope of illumination, the scope of the range of the wireless, and so on, as the object of management, it presents the problem that it cannot grasp the impact of these factors upon the network environment.
In order to grasp the performance of the network, many network management systems at a communication protocol level are provided with the functions of gathering data flowing on the network and implementing the statistical processing for each of the contents and the kinds of the data.
These network management systems, however, are so arranged as not to display screens in accordance with the amount of data on the drawing of the network configuration, to display screens of the path for the transmission of the data, and to alter the method of display in accordance with the kinds of the data, in order to grasp the dynamic traffic situation, so that these conventional network management systems suffer from the disadvantages that the performance of the network cannot be grasped on the drawing of the network configuration.
In the utilization of the computers and the network devices, there are many occasions in which improvements I the ease of use runs counter to the guarantee in security. In fact, the configuration of the network can be said to create a hole in security. Hence, the network management systems at the communication protocol level, as described with respect to the conventional technology, are provided with the function of detecting a connecting device having an abnormal address or detecting a person using an abnormal network from the contents of the data flowing on the network. These network management systems, however, cannot grasp which portion will become a hole in security before the occurrence of a phenomenon that is caused to occur for the first time after the occurrence of the abnormality. It is thus difficult to take measures in advance to ensure security.